Communication systems have been developed for a wide variety of different applications. For example, communication systems employed on an aircraft include in-flight operations systems such as global broadcast systems (GBS) and in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems that supply television and Internet to aircraft passengers. Wireless IFE systems display video and data information received from low power signals. Accordingly, some IFE systems include liquid crystal display (LCD) systems as well as antennas.
One type of antenna which can be used in communication systems is an electronic scanning array (ESA). An ESA typically includes many small antenna elements which, when correctly phased using electric circuits, form electromagnetic beams of radio waves for transmission or reception.
Traditionally, ESAs have not been widely used because they are inherently very costly to make. For example, an ESA for a single IFE passenger unit can cost over $10,000 to manufacture. More precise ESA systems cost over $1 Million to manufacture. Larger arrays require heavy support structures and complicated manufacturing procedures.
In addition to cost issues, another important design limitation for conventional systems is the volume needed to have both a display and an antenna co-located. Many applications, including in-flight systems, laptop computers, handheld devices, and other communication devices, are limited in the amount of space available for a display, an antenna, and other electrical components. For example, a handheld device used by a soldier or a hiker should be as compact as possible. Separate display, receiver, and many antenna elements would be unwieldy for such a handheld device.
In the area of GBS, global positioning systems (GPS), and other satellitebased systems, however, it is not known to integrate the display, a portion of the receiver, and antenna in a small form factor. Furthermore, although it has been suggested to use a flexible display that can be conveniently stored in a pocket, users of satellite-based systems also require a portable satellite antenna as well as a receiver. In other applications, such as airborne or vehicle-mounted applications, larger antennas may be used, but space considerations often preclude the use of larger antennas. In addition, such larger antennas may impair a mobile platform's performance by adding drag to an aircraft on which the antenna is mounted.
It is therefore an object of the invention to manufacture electronic scanning arrays (ESA) in a less expensive manner.
It is another objective of the invention to provide an antenna which can be integrated as part of the display.
A feature of the invention is a transparent, flexible electronic scanning array that may be integrated into a display during the manufacturing of the display.
Another feature of the invention is embedding an antenna in a flexible display, thereby combining a display, receiver, and antenna into a single light, portable flexible display.
An advantage of the invention is that a large ESA may be inexpensively manufactured and used on a mobile platform, such as an aircraft, without degrading aircraft performance due to drag associated with radomes.